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Background. Stroke is a severe disease due to its morbidity-mortality. It is the first cause of acquired disability including erectile dysfunction (ED). The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of ED in stroke patients at the Douala General Hospital, to identify associated factors and to evaluate their quality of life. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of seven months from November 2016 to May 2017 on two groups of patients in neurology, cardiology, and endocrinology units of the Douala General Hospital (Cameroon): stroke patients (stroke+) and nonstroke patients (stroke-). We collected sociodemographic and clinical data using a preestablished questionnaire. Erectile function was assessed using International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5). Associated and predictive factors were determined using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results were significant for a p value < 0.05. Results. A total of 269 patients were included, among them 87 stroke+ (32.34%) and 182 stroke- (67.66%) (controlled group). The mean age was 56.37±12.89 years and 57.18±10.24 years of stroke+ and stroke-, respectively (p=0.608). Prevalence of poststroke ED was 64.4% (OR=3.41, 95% CI: 1.99-5.82, p

Aim. To assess in adults from Benin changes in cardiometabolic risk (CMR) using both the Framingham risk score (FRS) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and to examine the effects of diet, and lifestyles, controlling for location and socioeconomic status. Methods. Apparently healthy subjects (n=541) aged 25–60 years and randomly selected in the largest city, a small town, and rural areas were included in the four-year longitudinal study. Along with CMR factors, socioeconomic, diet and lifestyle data were collected in individual interviews. A food score based on consumption frequency of four “sentinel” food groups (meat and poultry, dairy, eggs, and vegetables) was developed. Lifestyle included physical activity, alcohol and tobacco use. Education and income (proxy) were the socioeconomic variables. Results. Among the subjects with four-year follow-up data (n=416), 13.5% were at risk at baseline, showing MetS or FRS ≥ 10%. The incidence of MetS and FRS ≥ 10% during follow-up was 8.2% and 5%, respectively. CMR deteriorated in 21% of subjects. Diet and lifestyle mediated location and income effects on CMR evolution. Low food scores and inactivity increased the likelihood of CMR deterioration. Conclusion. Combining MetS and FRS might be appropriate for surveillance purposes in order to better capture CMR and inform preventive measures.

Negative selection of developing T cells plays a significant role in T-cell tolerance to self-antigen. This process relies on thymic antigen-presenting cells which express both self-antigens and cosignaling molecules. Inducible T-cell costimulator (ICOS) belongs to the CD28 family of cosignaling molecules and binds to ICOS ligand (ICOSL). The ICOS signaling pathway plays important roles in shaping the immune response to infections, but its role in central tolerance is less well understood. Here we show that ICOSL is expressed by subsets of thymic dendritic cells and medullary thymic epithelial cells as well as thymic B cells. ICOS expression is upregulated as T cells mature in the thymus and correlates with T-cell receptor signal strength during thymic selection. We also provide evidence of a role for ICOS signaling in mediating negative selection. Our findings suggest that ICOS may fine-tune T-cell receptor signals during thymic selection contributing to the generation of a tolerant T-cell population., (© 2021 The Authors. Immunology & Cell Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology, Inc.)